A Man Of Extremes

A Man Of Extremes

He was proceeding toward ordination in the Church of Scotland when he experienced the first of several mental breakdowns.

ALEXANDER CRUDEN was known as being mentally unstable, clueless in affairs of the heart, and an expert in Bible scholarship—quite an improbable combination.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1699, Cruden completed a master of arts degree at Marischal College in Aberdeen and was proceeding toward ordination in the Church of Scotland when he experienced the first of several mental breakdowns. The breakdown was triggered by a disappointment in love, and he was placed in confinement for a short time.

Once recovered, he moved to London, where he worked first as a tutor, then as a proofreader, and finally as the French translator for an earl. After his dismissal for not knowing French well enough, he opened a bookstore in London in 1732. The bookstore was a success and earned him the honorary title of Bookseller to the Queen.

In 1736 he began work on a concordance of the Bible. His habit of meticulously tracing words through Scripture and his extensive study of the Bible made him eminently qualified for this endeavor. He completed the first edition in just eighteen months and in 1737 published Cruden’s Concordance.

Unfortunately the book was not initially a financial success, causing him to lose his business. Cruden also was once again unlucky in love, this time making unwelcome advances toward a widow, triggering another bout with insanity. Again he was placed in what in that day was called a “private madhouse.” After a few weeks he escaped by cutting through the bedstead to which he was chained.

In 1739 he issued a pamphlet on his confinement entitled The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured, or a British Inquisition Display’d. He subsequently brought a lawsuit over his confinement that he pleaded himself and lost. He then published a pamphlet of his trial.

In 1753 he was once again placed in an insane asylum for a short time. In between confinements his behavior could be described as eccentric at best. Cruden believed that God had appointed him as the public censor, especially regarding profanity and Sabbath keeping. He took upon himself the title Alexander the Corrector and in 1755 unsuccessfully petitioned Parliament to confer this title upon him officially. In this self-appointed role he went about London with a sponge, erasing from walls obscene graffiti and whatever else did not meet his approval. He solicited students to serve as his deputy-correctors.

He also ran unsuccessfully for Parliament and made frequent unwelcome and embarrassing contacts with various single women, including an attempt to marry the daughter of the lord mayor of London. To finance his misadventures he published pamphlets about his causes, including three entitled The Adventures of Alexander the Corrector.

Cruden finally found success as a proofreader, first for a daily newspaper and then for several editions of the Greek and Latin classics. His acute attention to detail served him well. He continued to revise his concordance and published two later editions in 1761 and 1769. These later editions produced both profit and recognition for Cruden. To this day they remain in print as the standard concordance for the King James Version of the Bible.

Although unquestionably eccentric and troubled, Alexander Cruden was a devout Christian and a gifted scholar. On November 1, 1770, he died while in prayer and was found still upon his knees.

Reflection

How did you react to the knowledge that Alexander Cruden had bouts with mental illness? What lessons can we learn from his life story? God used Alexander Cruden in spite of his limitations, and he can use us in spite of ours.

[The Lord] said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9